Over the years, many students
have written to Clean Virginia Waterways about their plans to do a science project
that examines an aspect of cigarette litter. Here are some of the projects students
have done:

Cigarette litter in our
community (many topics can be explored: quantity of cigarette litter; sources;
areas more likely to accumulate litter; cost of cleanup by schools, parks,
and businesses; impact on habitat; fires caused by littered cigarette butts)

Effecting changes in
littering behavior by smokers (putting up signs, tentcards on tables, etc.
Measuring litter before and after)

Effects of cigarette
butt litter on plants (peas and other seeds have been used)

Effects of cigarette
butt litter on animals (Daphnia and small fish have been used. Note:
Some science fairs do not allow experimentation on animals. Check with your
teacher before attempting an experiment like this.)

ABOUT DAPHNIA:Daphnia are small crustaceans, order Cladocera. Many scientific
supply companies sell Daphnia (also called water fleas). Some of
these companies are: Carolina Scientific Supply Company. Web site: http://www.carolina.com/
and Ward's Natural Science at http://wardsci.com

Daphnia magna
are a large species of Daphnia commonly used in aquatic effluent
toxicity testing. D. magna eat only algae, and can be successfully
cultured using powdered Spirulina as a
food source. Be sure to keep your Daphnia cool, as they will die if
their water becomes too warm (over 72° F). Warm water is the quickest
way to lose all your animals.

Read all about cigarette
butt litter! Click here to read an article
that waspublished
in the August 2000 issue of the American Littoral Society journal, The Underwater
Naturalist. This article, by CVW's Executive Director Kathleen M. Register,
includes background data, such as the fact that 2.1 billion pounds of cigarette
filters were discarded worldwide in 1998, along with results of her research
showing that leached chemicals from cigarette filters are deadly to the water
flea Daphnia magna, a small crustacean at the lower end of, but important
to the aquatic food chain.